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Donegal car crash: Shaun Kelly jailed for road deaths | Donegal car crash: Shaun Kelly jailed for road deaths |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A 25-year-old man who admitted causing the deaths of eight people in a road crash in County Donegal has been jailed for two years. | A 25-year-old man who admitted causing the deaths of eight people in a road crash in County Donegal has been jailed for two years. |
The crash at Meenaduff, between Buncrana and Clonmany in July 2010, was Ireland's worst ever road incident. | The crash at Meenaduff, between Buncrana and Clonmany in July 2010, was Ireland's worst ever road incident. |
Hugh Friel, 66, and seven men, aged between 19 and 23 who were travelling in another car, were killed. | Hugh Friel, 66, and seven men, aged between 19 and 23 who were travelling in another car, were killed. |
Shaun Kelly, of Hill Road in Buncrana, has been sentenced to four years in prison, two of those suspended. | |
He was also disqualified from driving for 10 years. | He was also disqualified from driving for 10 years. |
Kelly was driving a black Volkswagen Passat with seven passengers when it collided with the car driven by Mr Friel. | Kelly was driving a black Volkswagen Passat with seven passengers when it collided with the car driven by Mr Friel. |
The passengers in his car were 21-year-old Mark McLaughlin, from Fahan; Paul Doherty and Ciaran Sweeney who were 19 and from Ballyliffin; Patrick McLaughlin, 21, from Burnfoot; 22-year-old Eamonn McDaid and 21-year-old Damien McLaughlin, both from Buncrana, and James McEleney, 23, from Clonmany. | The passengers in his car were 21-year-old Mark McLaughlin, from Fahan; Paul Doherty and Ciaran Sweeney who were 19 and from Ballyliffin; Patrick McLaughlin, 21, from Burnfoot; 22-year-old Eamonn McDaid and 21-year-old Damien McLaughlin, both from Buncrana, and James McEleney, 23, from Clonmany. |
Kelly was the only survivor of the crash and sustained serious injuries. | |
In July, he changed his plea to guilty of causing death by dangerous driving as a jury was being sworn in at Letterkenny Circuit Court on Tuesday. | |
The court heard from witnesses on Thursday that Kelly had been driving in a reckless fashion, having driven off at speed from a pub in Clonmany shortly before the crash. No-one in the car was wearing a seatbelt. | |
The vehicle struck a silver car before he lost control and went into a spin, colliding with a second oncoming vehicle. All the victims were killed instantly. | |
The court heard victim impact statements from the families of the dead men. | |
A number of them called for the judge to not to send Kelly to jail. | |
Paul Doherty's father Felix said: "We feel Shaun is serving his own life sentence, we don't believe a prison sentence is needed." | |
The driver's father, Liam Kelly, told them he was "deeply sorry for what happened" and "for the pain they are suffering". | |
He said that despite their loss, they had shown his family "comfort and support" and demonstrated a "Christian attitude". | |
A defence lawyer said the case was "a monumental tragedy for all involved". |
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